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Secret World Of Children's Chants

Bad Bungle said:
My nephew came home from School one day and slyly announced to his parents that there's a Town in France where the naked Ladies dance. His father was actually proud of him in a nostalgic/rites of passage kind of way - which wasn't the reaction my nephew was expecting, given that he and his mates had only just invented the chant to shock.
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Another version: There's a town in France where the ladies wear no pants
 
James_H said:
And it goes to this tune:
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The tune was written for the 1893 Columbian Exhibition in the White City, Chicago, which has some horrid Fortean connections!

It quickly became part of music's back-yard tangle of half-remembered things. Like a weed, it proved very robust, so I received it thus:

All the girls in Spain,
Do the titty in the rain.
When their tits hang low,
You can tie them in a bow.
When their skirts fly high,
You can see their sausage-pie.

As a poem, this raises a lot of questions . . . :thought:

Suffice it to say, I was fined a shilling of my pocket-money for repeating it in my mother's hearing! :nods:
 
JamesWhitehead said:
The tune was written for the 1893 Columbian Exhibition in the White City, Chicago, which has some horrid Fortean connections!

It quickly became part of music's back-yard tangle of half-remembered things. Like a weed, it proved very robust, so I received it thus:

All the girls in Spain,
Do the titty in the rain.
When their tits hang low,
You can tie them in a bow.
When their skirts fly high,
You can see their sausage-pie.

As a poem, this raises a lot of questions . . . :thought:

Suffice it to say, I was fined a shilling of my pocket-money for repeating it in my mother's hearing! :nods:
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The original lyrics are at least a little risqué, is there something inherently cheeky in the tune?

She was engaged,
As a picture for to pose,
To appear each night,
In abbreviated clothes,
All the dudes were in a flurry,
For to catch her they did hurry,
One who caught her now is sorry,
Poor little maid.
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A bit more history on the song. Apparently the first phrase may have been a musical 'meme' that had been floating around for hundreds of years prior to its use in a copyrighted song.
 
JamesWhitehead said:
The tune was written for the 1893 Columbian Exhibition in the White City, Chicago, which has some horrid Fortean connections!

It quickly became part of music's back-yard tangle of half-remembered things. Like a weed, it proved very robust, so I received it thus:

All the girls in Spain,
Do the titty in the rain.
When their tits hang low,
You can tie them in a bow.
When their skirts fly high,
You can see their sausage-pie.
Click to expand...

The third and fourth lines of this little ditty rang a bell. My mother taught us a song (for singing in the car on long drives) that has dubious origins but we learned the clean and wholesome version. I learned the "dirty" version later.

Do your ears hang low?
Do they wobble to and fro?
Can you tie 'em in a knot?
Can you tie 'em in a bow?
Can you throw 'em o'er your shoulder
Like a continental soldier?
Do your ears hang low?

The full history and lyrics are at Wiki https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Do_Your_Ears_Hang_Low?
 
James_H said:
And it goes to this tune:
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I never knew that this was a REAL song. We just use to wave our arms around, like hula dancers, and just sing "na na na-na-na, na-na na-na na-na na ..." after singing "There's a town in France where the ladies wear no pants"
 
merricat said:
Does anyone recall a chant similar to this?

I can recall a few of us primary school girls singing it, accompanied by a sort of hand-held, backwards and forwards skipping movement (like a wave coming in and out)....like dancing in and out in a fairly old fashioned ‘folky’ way.

A duke he came a-riding, a-riding, a-riding
A duke he came a-riding
Eye-tie-tiddly-toe.

And for the life of me I can’t remember any more verses but it went on for a long time, with many lines.
This was unlike many of our other songs at the time, and actually felt old fashioned to us. The year I recall would have been around 1982/3. North west. Uk.
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Thought I'd bump this thread with a belated answer to @merricat. I DO remember this... just. I was at infant school in Lancashire and this is one of the things I remember playing when we weren't running round with our arms out pretending to be daleks.
 
Sie said:
Thought I'd bump this thread with a belated answer to @merricat. I DO remember this... just. I was at infant school in Lancashire and this is one of the things I remember playing when we weren't running round with our arms out pretending to be daleks.
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This recent book has a section dedicated to the "came a-riding" chants / games. In various forms the notes indicate this chant can be traced at least as far back as the late 19th century.

Games, Rhymes, and Wordplay of London Children
By N. G. N. Kelsey

See section 4.1 (A Gipsy Came A-Riding)

https://books.google.com/books?id=3...M#v=onepage&q="duke he came a-riding"&f=false
 
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Ok, this popped into my head, something that I recall an older friend singing when I was a child. We had horses and went riding together quite regularly, and whilst trotting along she often sang odd little rhymes and songs.
All I can recall of this one was something along the lines of "what are you going to do, punchinella little fella, little man".
It sounds truly insane! Still, I can hear the tune in my mind but obviously can't share this in text.

Has anyone any background or info about this?
 
merricat said:
Ok, this popped into my head, something that I recall an older friend singing when I was a child. We had horses and went riding together quite regularly, and whilst trotting along she often sang odd little rhymes and songs.
All I can recall of this one was something along the lines of "what are you going to do, punchinella little fella, little man".
It sounds truly insane! Still, I can hear the tune in my mind but obviously can't share this in text.

Has anyone any background or info about this?
Click to expand...

Sounds vaguely familiar. Maybe something to do with fairies?
 
merricat said:
Ok, this popped into my head, something that I recall an older friend singing when I was a child. We had horses and went riding together quite regularly, and whilst trotting along she often sang odd little rhymes and songs.
All I can recall of this one was something along the lines of "what are you going to do, punchinella little fella, little man".
It sounds truly insane! Still, I can hear the tune in my mind but obviously can't share this in text.

Has anyone any background or info about this?
Click to expand...

Look who’s here,
Punchinello, Punchinella,
Look who’s here,
Punchinello from the zoo.

What can you do
Punchinella, Punchinello,
What can you do
Punchinella from the zoo?

We can do it too,
Punchinella, Punchinella,
We can do it too,
Punchinella from the zoo.

Who do you choose,
Punchinella, Punchinella,
Who do you choose,
Punchinella, funny you?

Hey, what ‘cha doing,
Punchinella, funny fella?
Hey, what ‘cha doing,
Punchinella, funny you!

What else can you do,
Punchinella, funny fella?
What else can you do,
Punchinella, funny you!

We can do it too,
Punchinello, funny fella
We can do it too,
Punchinello, funny you!

Choose one of us, Punchinella
Funny fella.
Choose one of us,
Punchinella, funny you!​

https://www.songsforteaching.com/folk/punchinella.php

Part I: THE HISTORY OF PUNCHINELLA/PUNCHINELLO
From http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pulcinella
"Pulcinella, Italian pronunciation: [pultʃiˈnɛlla]; often called Punch or Punchinello in English, Polichinelle in French, is a classical character that originated in the commedia dell'arte of the 17th century and became a stock character in Neapolitan puppetry.

His name, from Italian pulcino ('chick'), refers to his distinguishing feature: a long beaklike nose. According to another version, Pulcinella derived from the name of Puccio d'Aniello, a peasant of Acerra, who was portrayed in a famous picture attributed to Annibale Carracci, and indeed characterized by a long nose...

Always dressed in white with a black mask (hence conciliating the opposites of life and death), he stands out thanks to his peculiar voice, whose sharp and vibrant qualities produced with a tool called a swazzle contribute to the intense tempo of the show. Pulcinella often carries around macaroni and a wooden spoon. According to Pierre-Louis Duchartre, his traditional temperament is to be mean, vicious, and crafty and his main mode of defense is to pretend to be too stupid to know what's going on...

Many regional variants of Pulcinella were developed as the character diffused across Europe. In Germany, Pulcinella came to be known as Kasper. In the Netherlands he is known as Jan Klaassen. In Denmark he is Mester Jakel. Russian composer Igor Stravinsky composed two different ballets entitled Pulcinella and Petrushka, inspired by him. In Romania, he is Vasilache; in Hungary he is Vitéz László, and in France Polichinelle, while in the United Kingdom he inspired the character of Mister Punch of Punch and Judy."

https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2013/09/the-changing-faces-of-punchinella.html

maximus otter
 
maximus otter said:
Look who’s here,
Punchinello, Punchinella,
Look who’s here,
Punchinello from the zoo.

What can you do
Punchinella, Punchinello,
What can you do
Punchinella from the zoo?

We can do it too,
Punchinella, Punchinella,
We can do it too,
Punchinella from the zoo.

Who do you choose,
Punchinella, Punchinella,
Who do you choose,
Punchinella, funny you?

Hey, what ‘cha doing,
Punchinella, funny fella?
Hey, what ‘cha doing,
Punchinella, funny you!

What else can you do,
Punchinella, funny fella?
What else can you do,
Punchinella, funny you!

We can do it too,
Punchinello, funny fella
We can do it too,
Punchinello, funny you!

Choose one of us, Punchinella
Funny fella.
Choose one of us,
Punchinella, funny you!​

https://www.songsforteaching.com/folk/punchinella.php

Part I: THE HISTORY OF PUNCHINELLA/PUNCHINELLO
From http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pulcinella
"Pulcinella, Italian pronunciation: [pultʃiˈnɛlla]; often called Punch or Punchinello in English, Polichinelle in French, is a classical character that originated in the commedia dell'arte of the 17th century and became a stock character in Neapolitan puppetry.

His name, from Italian pulcino ('chick'), refers to his distinguishing feature: a long beaklike nose. According to another version, Pulcinella derived from the name of Puccio d'Aniello, a peasant of Acerra, who was portrayed in a famous picture attributed to Annibale Carracci, and indeed characterized by a long nose...

Always dressed in white with a black mask (hence conciliating the opposites of life and death), he stands out thanks to his peculiar voice, whose sharp and vibrant qualities produced with a tool called a swazzle contribute to the intense tempo of the show. Pulcinella often carries around macaroni and a wooden spoon. According to Pierre-Louis Duchartre, his traditional temperament is to be mean, vicious, and crafty and his main mode of defense is to pretend to be too stupid to know what's going on...

Many regional variants of Pulcinella were developed as the character diffused across Europe. In Germany, Pulcinella came to be known as Kasper. In the Netherlands he is known as Jan Klaassen. In Denmark he is Mester Jakel. Russian composer Igor Stravinsky composed two different ballets entitled Pulcinella and Petrushka, inspired by him. In Romania, he is Vasilache; in Hungary he is Vitéz László, and in France Polichinelle, while in the United Kingdom he inspired the character of Mister Punch of Punch and Judy."

https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2013/09/the-changing-faces-of-punchinella.html

maximus otter
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Well I wan't expecting such an excellent result, thank you! This is fascinating. Glad I hadn't imagined it.
 
maximus otter said:
Look who’s here,
Punchinello, Punchinella,
Look who’s here,
Punchinello from the zoo.

What can you do
Punchinella, Punchinello,
What can you do
Punchinella from the zoo?

We can do it too,
Punchinella, Punchinella,
We can do it too,
Punchinella from the zoo.

Who do you choose,
Punchinella, Punchinella,
Who do you choose,
Punchinella, funny you?

Hey, what ‘cha doing,
Punchinella, funny fella?
Hey, what ‘cha doing,
Punchinella, funny you!

What else can you do,
Punchinella, funny fella?
What else can you do,
Punchinella, funny you!

We can do it too,
Punchinello, funny fella
We can do it too,
Punchinello, funny you!

Choose one of us, Punchinella
Funny fella.
Choose one of us,
Punchinella, funny you!​

https://www.songsforteaching.com/folk/punchinella.php

Part I: THE HISTORY OF PUNCHINELLA/PUNCHINELLO
From http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pulcinella
"Pulcinella, Italian pronunciation: [pultʃiˈnɛlla]; often called Punch or Punchinello in English, Polichinelle in French, is a classical character that originated in the commedia dell'arte of the 17th century and became a stock character in Neapolitan puppetry.

His name, from Italian pulcino ('chick'), refers to his distinguishing feature: a long beaklike nose. According to another version, Pulcinella derived from the name of Puccio d'Aniello, a peasant of Acerra, who was portrayed in a famous picture attributed to Annibale Carracci, and indeed characterized by a long nose...

Always dressed in white with a black mask (hence conciliating the opposites of life and death), he stands out thanks to his peculiar voice, whose sharp and vibrant qualities produced with a tool called a swazzle contribute to the intense tempo of the show. Pulcinella often carries around macaroni and a wooden spoon. According to Pierre-Louis Duchartre, his traditional temperament is to be mean, vicious, and crafty and his main mode of defense is to pretend to be too stupid to know what's going on...

Many regional variants of Pulcinella were developed as the character diffused across Europe. In Germany, Pulcinella came to be known as Kasper. In the Netherlands he is known as Jan Klaassen. In Denmark he is Mester Jakel. Russian composer Igor Stravinsky composed two different ballets entitled Pulcinella and Petrushka, inspired by him. In Romania, he is Vasilache; in Hungary he is Vitéz László, and in France Polichinelle, while in the United Kingdom he inspired the character of Mister Punch of Punch and Judy."

https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2013/09/the-changing-faces-of-punchinella.html

maximus otter
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Sterling work Max, sterling work indeed.
 
Just got a flashback to primary school and playing 'The Farmer's in his Den' on the lawn in summer. Idyllic.

How innocent we were. How we took the mickey out of the boy/girl pairings so formed - this was still in the 'girls are icky' stage.
 
I was taught to sing Punchinello as a dreary round at school in the early '70s.

Ho there Punchinello
Ho there funny fellow
Oh what can you, can you do?
Oh we'll do it, do it too
Oh Punchinello funny fellow
Oh Punchinello funny do.

There was a drawing of a gnome-like character in a stripey suit on the page but no explanation. Like a cousin of Mr Punch, which he is.

The song felt like a poor translation of something witty and Italian, which I've come to associate with the Commedia dell'Arte.
 
escargot said:
I was taught to sing Punchinello as a dreary round at school in the early '70s.

Ho there Punchinello
Ho there funny fellow
Oh what can you, can you do?
Oh we'll do it, do it too
Oh Punchinello funny fellow
Oh Punchinello funny do.

There was a drawing of a gnome-like character in a stripey suit on the page but no explanation. Like a cousin of Mr Punch, which he is.

The song felt like a poor translation of something witty and Italian, which I've come to associate with the Commedia dell'Arte.
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Those are almost the very words that I recall! So a bit of a variation on the longer verses posted previously.
I did ask her about it a few years ago and she can't remember it, just said it rings a bell. Well it certainly stuck with me!
This would have been around 1981 or thereabouts.

This is what I recall:
What can you do Punchinella little fella
What you gonna do Punchinella little man

There were a few more lines and to my memory they were a bit frightening. I am wondering now if she made them up.

Perhaps she edited it :) or it was a version circulating the NW of the UK at that time..
 
Mr. Punch leaves a big impression on children’s minds. As a mere puppet he delves so deep into the psyche, he’s influenced funny, strange, and grimly surreal thoughts for centuries, notably M.R James.
What first interested me in ghosts? This I can tell you quite definitely. In my childhood I chanced to see a toy Punch and Judy set, with figures cut out in cardboard. One of these was The Ghost. It was a tall figure habited in white with an unnaturally long and narrow head, also surrounded with white, and a dismal visage. Upon this my conceptions of a ghost were based, and for years it permeated my dreams.
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https://www.hypnogoria.com/scribblings_punch.html

You have to admire the little guy really.
 
Our local child chant was..

Dinky Bell
Went to Hell
Riding on
A Twitchy Bell.

Dinky Bell was the nickname of a local scrapyard merchant.
A Twitchy Bell is the colloquial name for an earwig.
So the whole thing is very specifically tied to a local place but people from all over the place knew it.
 
Heh. I was suddenly reminded of an old classic we used to taunt people named "Mike" with back when I was in daycare....

Michael, Michael,
Motorcycle,
Turn the key
And watch him pee.

Kids can be so cruel.
 
So this one might be a mulligan, as it was used on TV-- Do you know the jingle bells, Batman smells lyrics for Jingle Bells? The fun thing is that my father knew it from his childhood, and it's likely to date to the older, live-action high-camp TV show. But the animated series used it in its pilot and so I think that's where my age cohort knows it (but who knows where they learned it...)
 
Junopsis said:
So this one might be a mulligan, as it was used on TV-- Do you know the jingle bells, Batman smells lyrics for Jingle Bells? The fun thing is that my father knew it from his childhood, and it's likely to date to the older, live-action high-camp TV show. ...
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There were multiple variations on the "Batman smells" parody song, and it definitely dates at least as far back as 1966 / 1967, when the camp TV series aired.

https://www.cbr.com/jingle-bells-batman-smells-secret-origin/
http://www.robweir.com/blog/2006/01/jingle-bells-batman-smells.html
 
Junopsis said:
So this one might be a mulligan, as it was used on TV-- Do you know the jingle bells, Batman smells lyrics for Jingle Bells? The fun thing is that my father knew it from his childhood, and it's likely to date to the older, live-action high-camp TV show. But the animated series used it in its pilot and so I think that's where my age cohort knows it (but who knows where they learned it...)
Click to expand...

Saw this on a Virgin train at xmas a few years ago. The phrase 'Jingle bells...Batman smells' was scrolling along the display.

Batman smells.jpg
 
An Auntie Mary variation from Ayrshire between the wars (with an internal rhyme which only works in a Scottish accent):

Ma Auntie Mary had a canary
Up the leg o her drawers,
And whan it cam doun, it whistled a tune,
And that wis "The Cock of the North".

Till her dying day, my mother didn't understand why my grandmother would never let her sing that. I think I do.
 
LymeswoldSnork said:
An Auntie Mary variation from Ayrshire between the wars (with an internal rhyme which only works in a Scottish accent):

Ma Auntie Mary had a canary
Up the leg o her drawers,
And whan it cam doun, it whistled a tune,
And that wis "The Cock of the North".

Till her dying day, my mother didn't understand why my grandmother would never let her sing that. I think I do.
Click to expand...
The tune to that is sometimes played by British military bands. When this came on TV my brother and I would sing the first couple of lines, viz.
Ma Auntie Mary had a canary
Up the leg of her drawers,

and our mother would shout at us to stop.
Dunno why as a. She knew we learned those two lines from her and b. As she only sang that bit we didn't know any more of it! :chuckle:

We had Irish neighbours, a big family of kids whom we'd play with, who had a cherished Auntie Mary. When we fell out with them we'd taunt them by singing those two lines. They probably knew the rest and thought we were omitting the worst bit.
 
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